Ceremony: West Tisbury Congregational Church
Reception: Morning Glory Farm
Caterer: Jan Buhrman/ Kitchen Porch
Music: Mike Benjamin and Friends
Flower Arranging and Decorations: Krishana Collins & Alisa Javitz: Bluebird Farm
Cake: Cakes by Liz
While most of the world’s attention was on Kate and William walking down the aisle at Westminster Abbey, three thousand three hundred and ten miles southwest of London, another sort of royal arrangement was taking place on an island all its own. Simon Athearn and Robyn Hosey were knee deep in preparations for their wedding, slated for the following day and their aim was an authentic local celebration.
They both are farmers. Simons family owns and runs Morning Glory Farm on Marthas Vineyard and Robyn is from rural PA., received a farm degree at the University of California and completed graduate work at Antioch University- New England. Immediately after Simon asked, and Robyn said “yes”, they knew they wanted to honor each other, their family, and friends by growing what they could for the wedding day and their 170 invited guests.
These plans were launched last fall when they planted 600 tulips and hyacinths in their south-facing yard. This February, they prepared beds in two greenhouses with seeds of lettuce, mizuna. kale, spinach and peas for their wedding salad, bok choy and asparagus for the side dishes and edible flowers for the garnish. On March 1st, 100 baby meat chickens arrived for an 8-week on-island stay, awaiting their impending main course position on the dinner plate.
Friday was the big day to harvest, set up the farm stand where the reception was to take place and get all their organized eggs into the big royal basket. There were friends, sisters, brothers, in-laws, nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, and Robyn’s mom and dad all lending a hand. They were cutting flowers, harvesting the greens, decorating and transforming the farmstead into a colorful palace of floral arrangements and hanging lanterns. Tables were set with a variety of antique plate patterns, hand-painted water colorings told of the noble people that would dine together under the fresh flower chandeliers that were created by florist artists Krishana Collins and Alisa Javitz of Bluebird Farm.
By mid-day, cuisinier Jan Buhrman from the Kitchen Porch was starting to prepare the local harvest for the next day’s honorable feast. Jan is also a local food advocate and educator and was overjoyed that most of the food she was to prepare came from a .5 mile radius from the kitchen. How much more local can you get?
April 30, 2011
Simon and Robyn grow a wedding. Even the cows were invited!
